Managing Moisture

Q I enjoyed reading your article on the home you recently built in Ohio (“Design, Construction, and Performance in Ohio,” Jan/Feb ’07, p. 36). I am an architect practicing in the Pacific Northwest (Lopez Island, Washington). At our fi rm we have been designing the rain screen systems for a few years with great response and success. Currently we are exploring the insulated sheathing aspect of the rain screen with different cladding options. I know we live in two completely different climate zones and this may affect the details of the construction process. That being said, I have a few questions about your recent project:1. Did you utilize any other moisture barrier over the OSB other than the 2-inch rigid foam? I am also curious what you used for the cladding/ siding on your house and if it required air ventilation.2. Did you create an air space between the exterior cladding and the 2-inch rigid foam? Here in the Northwest we utilize this air space in order to keep the siding material (wood, most commonly) as dry as possible on both sides. We usually accomplish this by using pressure-treated 1-inch strapping over the sheathing.3. With the thicker wall ...